During a sunny day it is almost impossible to prevent children from going outside and playing; whether they are at home watching TV or in school doing their homework, children can’t wait for the moment they can go out and start playing, alone or with their classmates. To entertain themselves while they spend time outside, children themselves have come up with thousands of playground games that can be played alone or with other kids; other playground games have been developed by adults for amusing children while they are outside. Nevertheless, whether they are playing old-fashioned playground games such as hide and seek or more elaborate team games, when it comes to playing outside, children will always ask for more.

Some playground games can be performed by children alone without the supervision of adults; these outdoor playground games can be very simply organized by small groups of children themselves without the help of adults and do not entail any immediate danger. “It” is a very popular game which does not need any special organization and can be performed by children without any help.

For small groups of children, there are games that require kids to write or paint on the playground; in games like hopscotch, children have to draw a design on the ground characterized by many squares. When it is his or her turn to play, the child will throw a stone in one of the squares; then, he or she will jump into each square avoiding the one where the stone fell. Of course, children have come up with dozens of variations for this game; for instance, the may jump only on one foot or they can jump going backwards.

There are also other children’s playground games that require a little more organization and the help of adults; these games are not at all “difficult” games that children do not like to play because they are too complicated. These are games involving a more elaborate preparation that is usually taken care of by adults; the actual game can be performed entirely by the children and the adults will only help them to follow the rules of the playground games or help them in keeping track of the eventual points. Treasure hunts are an example of this kind of game. Adults will have to set up various hints, like objects or short messages, and hide them around; children will have to find them and try to figure out what the treasure is and where it is.

Treasure hunts are one of the most common playground games for a large group of children; these children’s playground games usually require children to be divided into teams, which will play against each other.

Other children’s playground games have been specifically studied by physicians and child psychologists to be performed by children in schools in order to achieve physical benefits, such as coordination of movement, velocity and strength, and social and psychological benefits, such as tolerance toward others, ability to be part of a group and respect for the rules. The importance of following playground game rules lies not only in the fact that rules are essential for successfully carrying out a game, but also in the fact that rules are very important to teach the child that he or she cannot always do what he or she likes. They can play games with the other children and have fun, but they need to know that there is something that they all have to “obey” even if they do not understand why.

If you teach in a school or if you are interested in finding out more about these school playground games, you can take a look at some magazines or books focused on children’s development. You will find lots and lots of games that children can do when they are outside as well as more specific information such as playground games for K-3 grades or tips on how to teach young children elementary playground games rules. Do not forget that the Internet is also a good source for searching for information regarding these and other games for children; playground games can also be easily “discovered” by directly asking your children how they like to play when they are outside. Children’s playground games do not need specific and strict rules or special equipment; if the kids have a good time playing them, the game can be considered a successful playground game.